News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1887-06-16
THE SEA SERPENT MYSTERY.
Adirondack hurry Solves 1t with
the Aid of a Good Field Glass.

w. Fl. H. Murray claims to have
solved the sea serpent mystery of Lake
Champlain, and his solution will per
haps apply to many along-shore myster-
les of the same sort. He writes ms
follows
Going to my front door last Friday
morning I found many people, with
more or less excitement, looking at the
lake. I asked teamster opposite my
door what was the cause of it. He re-
piled that the sea serpent was in the
bay. I said "Have you seen him =
He replied that he had, and that it has
only just sunk from view, and would
soon probably re-appear. The words
were hardly uttered before he pointed
frantically toward the lake, and said :
There he is There he is - and sure
enough, right In front of me, not two
miles away, the lake being scarcely rip
pied, the air clear as plate glass, L be-
held the sea serpent, and [ must say
that the spectacle was truly a most
startling one. In my wanderings, L have
CHANGED to see some strange things, and
had cause to note some of the deceltS
that nature can practice on the senses,
but I am free to say that [ never saw on
land or sea an appearance more startling
than [ saw in Burlington Bay in front of
nay house last Friday morning. The APP
pearance has been many times described
with fair degree of accuracy. In
length the serpent seemed at least 100
feet longer than canal boat would az
that distance. Its color was at times of
a slaty brown, and at others it seemed
to be glistening white, like the scales of
a shad. Its motion was undulatOry,
and kind of quiyering its whole length
characterized it. It moved with aston
when it was showing the full length of
its appearance it sank from sight.
This is plain account of the sea ser
pent as [ saw it. The deceit was per-
feet The coolest observer and the most
skeptical would have been perfectly con-
WINGED that his eyes had beheld a marine
monster. have a field glass of real
value, and, thinking that the serpent
would appear again, 1 stepped quickly
to where it hangs in the hall and adj
iusted the lenses for the distance. A
ladys hand at the required range
would show its fingers plainly. The
first thought of incredulity, as [ stood
gazing at it before l took my glass,
arose from the fact of the exceeding
rapidity with which it was moving. No
body, [ said to myself, could ever move
through the water as fast as that thing
was going. I had hardly reached the
veranda again when the cry rang along
the street, ''There he is There he is
again ~ and sure enough, there was the
serpent once more, white and shiny,
moving with immense rapidity, with the
same peculiar vibrating motion. 1
brought my glass to beat upon it in
stantly, and the mystery was that instant
solved. The immense sea monster ut
once resolved itself into several hun
hreds of small birds of the same plover
family flying in a long line, which
swung down and to the right or left as
they flew. The under side of their
wings and breasts was snowy white
their backs were slaty brown. When in
the long or short c1lrvings of their flight,
they were flying at such an angle as re-
CARDS the gazer that the under side of
their wings and breasts was seen, the
serpent, long and white, appeared.
When they took some slant at another
angle, and their backs and upper side
Vi blltlI WHY'S NtIS GttIiltNl lONiiI bIlS
gazer, the white line faded out and the
monster seemed to sink from view. The
and vibrating motions of the
were thus explained. The
quick futter of their little wings, in
long line extended, the gradual swoop
up and down in their flight, made the
appearance perfect. The immense speed
of the serpent was accounted for, his
motion being the motion of quick winged
birds cleaving the air, and not of an
aquatic monster rushing through the
water.
That this is true account and perfect
solution of the Champlain sea serpent
the public may believe, for L had not
only the opportunity to see enc sea
that morning, but l saw three
at the same instant one rounding Bluff
Point, one about mile out heading to
Join it, and another north of Juniper Is
land and so [ speak with the certainty
Of one who knows whereof he atfrms
But the appearance is most deceitful
enc, and with the unassisted eye its real
nature cannot be discerned